UT basketball: Barnes not worried about job security

Rick Barnes is entering his 16th season as the Longhorns head coach. (John Sleezer/MCT)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes on Tuesday called his team’s losing record last season “unacceptable” but said he is not entering this season thinking he’s coaching for his job.

“Are you asking if I’m worried about having a bad year and being fired?” Barnes said. “I don’t think you ever worry about those things. … If I let that be on my mind, I would not be able to do my job.”

After leading the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first 14 seasons in Austin, Barnes oversaw a team that went 16-18 last year. UT, which made the Sweet 16 five times from 2002-’08, hasn’t been back since. The Longhorns, picked by coaches to finish eighth in the Big 12, have won only one NCAA Tournament game in the past four years.

“We’ve had guys that didn’t fit the mold that we built,” Barnes said. “There’s no doubt that happened.”

Last year, a rash of early departures left UT with no scholarship juniors or seniors. And over the past eight months, five more underclassmen — including the Longhorns’ top four scorers — have left the program. There still are no scholarship seniors on the roster, and forward Johnathan Holmes is the only junior.

But Barnes raved about an improvement in attitude, and said the team will benefit from having players who want to be around and are invested in the program.

“I do know one thing — we’ll be OK,” Barnes said. “I like this group.”